If there is one lesson those of us watching Charlotte from afar should be learning, it’s THIS: When things go south, the government cannot protect you.

Paul Valone, the leader of Grass Roots North Carolina, the state’s leading and most vocal pro-Second Amendment organization, says law-abiding Charlotte area residents should get reacquainted with that particular section of The Constitution during this time of crisis:

[…] Predictably, the anarchy of “Black Lives Matter” has invaded Charlotte, as rioters have now torn up the city and its residents for two nights, all in response to the shooting of an armed thug by a black police officer. I strongly advise any concealed handgun permit-holder who cannot avoid the city to carry a firearm at all times. It is precisely for this sort of scenario that GRNC not only shepherded passage of our concealed carry law, but sued to strike down our State of Emergency law, under which citizens were previously prohibited from carrying firearms outside the home during declared states of emergency.

Valone points to a number of the group’s legal and political successes that could aid citizens caught in crises like what currently grips Charlotte:

Bateman v. Perdue: Concealed carry during emergencies

As you may recall, Grass Roots North Carolina was a plaintiff in Bateman v. Perdue, when we sued Governor Beverly Perdue over the State of Emergency gun ban, arguing that the ban constituted an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment. We did so after the town of King, NC posted the entire town against firearms in advance of a pending snowstorm, and after Gov. Perdue declared a statewide State of Emergency, in response to an advancing hurricane, on the opening day of dove season, making criminals of thousands of dove hunters. GRNC and other plaintiffs won the lawsuit, and the law was struck down as unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

Repealing the State of Emergency gun ban

The following year, GRNC lobbied for repeal of the now-unconstitutional law, only to find resistance from Republican leaders who wanted to replace the law with yet another (probably unconstitutional) gun ban. Thanks to the tens of thousands of contacts you provided to legislators, GRNC prevailed and the State of Emergency gun ban was entirely repealed.

Under Castle Doctrine, citizens may respond with deadly force

GRNC also notes that any attempt by rioters to illegally enter a motor vehicle occupied by a law-abiding citizen would likely invoke our Castle Doctrine law, under which forceful and unlawful entry into your occupied home, workplace or motor vehicle creates a rebuttable legal presumption that you have a reasonable fear of imminent death or great bodily harm – the legal standard under which a citizen may respond with deadly force. GRNC shepherded the passage of Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground in 2011.

Time for sheriffs to inventory their conceal carry roster. These are the most vetted citizens in their county. Time to deputize and do some training with a selected percentage to relieve deputies of security details that can be handled by CC deputies (many with extensive military leadership and security skills) so that they can tend to deterring or responding to major criminal activity. Better for the sheriff to organize now, than try in the middle of a crisis. Sticking our heads in a sand trap is not a solution to a looming-large threat emerging in America and in the Old North State.

Good word from Paul Valone, who calls me the number one gun rights advocate in the State Legislature. You have a God-given right to self defense, with which the government should cooperate. I need to harness the energy of the people to overcome the reluctance of State GOP leadership to hear and pass my Gun Rights Amendment next year. Let Speaker Moore know you demand it.